3:2 Beware of the dogs, 29 beware of the evil workers, beware of those who mutilate the flesh! 30
2:9 As a result God exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
2:10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow
– in heaven and on earth and under the earth –
1 tn This Greek word translated “sufferings” here (πάθημα, paqhma) is a different one than the one Paul uses for his own afflictions/persecutions (θλῖψις, qliyi") in v. 4.
2 tn I.e., suffering incurred by Paul as a consequence of his relationship to Christ. The genitive could be considered to have a causative nuance here.
3 tn Traditionally, “abound” (here and throughout this section).
4 tn The words “to you” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the statements in the following verse.
5 tn Or “are troubled.”
6 tn Grk “as you are sharers in.”
7 tn Grk “will be sharers in.”
8 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1., where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).
9 tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.
10 tn Grk “we are hard pressed [by crowds] on every side.”
11 tn Or “at a loss.”
12 tn Or “forsaken.”
13 tn Or “badly hurt.” It is possible to interpret καταβαλλόμενοι (kataballomenoi) here as “badly hurt”: “[we are] badly hurt, but not destroyed” (L&N 20.21).
14 tn The first clause of 2 Cor 4:10 is elliptical and apparently refers to the fact that Paul was constantly in danger of dying in the same way Jesus died (by violence at least). According to L&N 23.99 it could be translated, “at all times we live in the constant threat of being killed as Jesus was.”
15 tn Or “may also be revealed.”
16 tn Or “may also be revealed.”
17 tn Grk “mortal flesh.”
18 tn Or “So then.”
19 tn Grk “death is at work in us, but life in you”; the phrase “is at work in” is repeated in the translation for clarity.
20 tn Grk “forty less one”; this was a standard sentence. “Lashes” is supplied to clarify for the modern reader what is meant.
21 sn Beaten with a rod refers to the Roman punishment of admonitio according to BDAG 902 s.v. ῥαβδίζω. Acts 16:22 describes one of these occasions in Philippi; in this case it was administered by the city magistrates, who had wide powers in a military colony.
22 sn Received a stoning. See Acts 14:19, where this incident is described.
23 tn Or “bandits.” The word normally refers more to highwaymen (“robbers”) but can also refer to insurrectionists or revolutionaries (“bandits”).
24 tn Or “desert.”
25 tn The two different words for labor are translated “in hard work and toil” by L&N 42.48.
26 tn Grk “in cold and nakedness.” Paul does not mean complete nakedness, however, which would have been repugnant to a Jew; he refers instead to the lack of sufficient clothing, especially in cold weather. A related word is used to 1 Cor 4:11, also in combination with experiencing hunger and thirst.
27 tn The articular infinitive τοῦ γνῶναι (tou gnwnai, “to know”) here expresses purpose. The words “My aim is” have been supplied in the translation to emphasize this nuance and to begin a new sentence (shorter sentences are more appropriate for English style).
28 tn Grk “to know him, the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings.”
29 sn Dogs is a figurative reference to false teachers whom Paul regards as just as filthy as dogs.
30 tn Grk “beware of the mutilation.”